Broken pipes are the bane of everyone’s existence! No one likes to find out they need a pipe replacing. I, myself went through that recently. My bathtub wouldn’t drain probably all of a sudden and it was taking a long time and I was getting frustrated. I tried every Pinterest trick there was; baking soda and vinegar, dawn and vinegar, some random remedy that did nothing but stink up my bathroom for days, among other ideas. Then I went the chemical route of draino and the snaking method; whatever could possibly be thought of, I tried it but the problem only got worse. Finally I called in a professional. The plumber tried a few things but then finally he went out to his car and got something called a video pipe for video pipe inspection.
Basically what video pipe is, is when a small camera is fixed on top of a flexible material that can wind its way down drains and into the sewers, all the while videoing, so as to find out if there are blockages, breakages, etc. Sure enough, the camera halted in front of a huge collection of who knows what, stuck way deep in my drains.
Video pipe inspection is also known as sewer camera inspection. It’s literally what it sounds like; the camera checks the sewers for cracks, leaks, breakages, obstructions, etc without the need of pulling apart not only the pipe itself but the landscape or buildings and homes around it.
Once the video pipe inspection is completed, if cracking or leaking was found, the method of trenchless pipe repair can be implemented. This is when a smaller pipe than the original is inserted using a similar flexible cord as the video pipe inspection. The pipe or bad that is being using to patch the current pipe is dragged through, along with the camera in order to see exactly where it needs to be mended. This completely eliminates the need for pulling out the entire pipe or even replacing the whole thing. It can be patched up using this trenchless methods.
Trenchless methods have actually been around for almost 15 years but homeowners are just now becoming aware that this is an option. This ‘no dig’ method is becoming increasingly popular among homeowners, simply because of the fact that the landscape or parts of their homes do not have to be dug up. Around 73% said they would rather pay a little extra to preserve the landscape and use the trenchless method than ruin their landscapes.
However, this method is not even necessarily more expensive. As well as being cleaner and safer, it can save homeowners up to 40% of what they would have to pay for the traditional method of pipe replacement.
